HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3175        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 426

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Marjorie C. Decker

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to recess for elementary school children.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

1/16/2019

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/23/2019

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

1/28/2019

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

2/1/2019

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

2/1/2019

David Biele

4th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Paul Brodeur

32nd Middlesex

2/1/2019

Michelle L. Ciccolo

15th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Daniel R. Cullinane

12th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Linda Dean Campbell

15th Essex

2/1/2019

Mindy Domb

3rd Hampshire

1/30/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

1/29/2019

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

1/24/2019

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

1/31/2019

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

1/30/2019

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Richard M. Haggerty

30th Middlesex

2/1/2019

James K. Hawkins

2nd Bristol

1/31/2019

Stephan Hay

3rd Worcester

1/24/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

1/24/2019

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

1/29/2019

Patricia D. Jehlen

Second Middlesex

1/31/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

1/28/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

1/29/2019

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

1/31/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

1/28/2019

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Paul W. Mark

2nd Berkshire

2/1/2019

Joan Meschino

3rd Plymouth

1/29/2019

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

1/31/2019

Rady Mom

18th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

2/1/2019

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

1/31/2019

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

2/1/2019

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

1/31/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/28/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

2/1/2019

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

1/29/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

1/30/2019

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

1/28/2019

Chynah Tyler

7th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

1/30/2019

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

1/30/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

2/1/2019

Tommy Vitolo

15th Norfolk

1/29/2019

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

1/24/2019

Bud L. Williams

11th Hampden

2/1/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3175        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 426

By Ms. Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 426) of Marjorie C. Decker and others relative to recess for elementary school children.  Education.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act relative to recess for elementary school children.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 1G of Chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following new paragraph:-

All children in grades kindergarten through five attending public schools shall receive one hundred minutes of supervised, safe, and unstructured free-play recess each week so that there are at least twenty consecutive minutes of free-play recess per day. As used herein, the term "free play" means an unstructured environment, but which is supervised by appropriate school personnel or staff. Regulations promulgated by the department may not exclude recess from structured learning time requirements for elementary school children and may not increase the total number of hours required in the school year to meet the provisions of this subsection.

SECTION 2. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 4A the following section:-

Section 4B. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, no public elementary school shall decrease the amount of time it allots and provides to students as recess time designed to allow students to participate in physical and social activities as a result of any changes in standards or curriculum that the school is required to or chooses to adopt. For purposes of this section, “elementary school” shall mean a school providing instruction to grades K through 5, and, where so designated by a school committee prior to the commencement of a school year, may also include a middle school or other intermediate level school providing instruction to grades 5 through 6 or any combination thereof.